Chronicle Mode and Cherry Icon
Enter these codes at the main menu by holding down L1 and R1 and pressing the Triangle button. Tap the button for a "short" press, hold it a little bit for a "long" press, and wait a split second between presses for any *pause* scenarios. The first code enables Chronicle Mode for play without requiring you to have completed Story Mode first; the second simply makes a cherry icon appear at the upper-left corner of the screen.

Hidden Characters and Items
To unlock the knight Marl, the protagonist from V&B prequel 'Seven: Cavalry of Molmorth,' and the item Shion's Ring in year 1100, you must first unlock 1 secret character from Chapter 8 (1036-1049) and 5 from Chapter 9 (1050-1078). Each secret character must be unlocked by (1) listening to a rumor from the bartender in the specified town during the approximate year and (2) visiting the destination before the activated flag disappears.